Mental imagery of fatigue-related multisensory sensations and fMRI

This chapter focuses on imaging studies that used the mental imagery paradigm to study fatigue. What is meant by mental imagery of sensations will be described. How the mental imagery of fatigue has been studied is addressed, pointing out that the analysis of the literature shows that the mental imagery of fatigue has been studied almost exclusively in the motor domain. The majority of the studies employed imaging techniques like electroenchephalography and magnetoencephalography. Less used is functional magnetic resonance approach. The main findings of these imaging studies are reported, and in particular it will focus on the role of the left posterior brain areas as multisensory processing areas. The present revision of the literature shows that mental imagery of fatigue-related multisensory sensations can be used as a potential and promising fMRI paradigm to measure activation in sensory-related areas which could be related to the physiology of fatigue.